Instagram. IG. The gram. It’s the social media platform many have a love-hate relationship with. Not because it isn’t fun to scroll through your feed watching Reels, IG stories, and keeping up with your favorite accounts — but because when it comes time to post your own content, the pressure is on. Instagram captions allow you to add necessary context to whatever visuals you’re posting. And while a picture is worth a thousand words, you need a caption to drive your point home. Would you consider yourself a master of Instagram captions? Regardless of your answer, we want to share 3 ways to master your Instagram captions without breaking a sweat.

Master your Instagram captions by writing to your ideal audience.

Hopefully, by the time you have your IG profile up and running, you have a pretty good idea of who your target audience is. If not, don’t worry! You still have time. Identifying your audience is the first step you need to take. If you’re looking for additional support, check out our package, The Works, to get your branding, messaging and target audience in check. 

When writing your captions, pretend you’re having a conversation with someone from your ideal audience. This helps guide your content so it flows well and clearly communicates your intention. Writing with your audience in mind also allows you to determine which perspective and approach are appropriate, depending on the topic. If you’re launching a brand new service or offering that your target audience doesn’t know anything about, then you’ll need to write something that’s introductory and immediately grabs their attention. Instagram captions on behalf of your brand need to focus on reaching the people who need to see your posts the most. You’re providing value to your audience, and that value should be clearly communicated in every post!

Focus on above-the-fold content to master your Instagram captions.

Are you ready for us to speak some truth? Punchy, quippy, sexy content sells. Yep, you heard us right. If you aren’t starting off with something that immediately grabs your audience’s attention, your post will probably not perform well. We’ve all heard the data from Microsoft’s 2015 study — our attention span is only eight seconds. That gives us, as content creators, only eight seconds to draw Instagram users in. So, how do you do that? Write content that really packs a punch. 

In the first or second sentence, plug in the quippy, sexy content that’ll make your audience stop and go, “Wait, what?” Then continue to connect through a narrative of some sort, while proving your value. (Pro Tip: You get 125 characters before that pesky little “See more,” cuts you off on Instagram — so use them wisely!)

This can look like telling a story of how you’ve impacted someone’s life or communicating some sort of ROI — like how much money you saved a client. All in all, you want to write content that speaks volumes and is noticeable. Oh, and don’t forget! While Instagram may be more of a casual platform, you still need to effectively incorporate your brand voice throughout every caption. Instagram is a critical touchpoint for many brands. (For more info on touchpoints and brand messaging, check this out!)

Always invite people to act in your Instagram captions.

What’s an IG caption without a call-to-action? A bunch of words that aren’t beneficial to your brand! Engagement, engagement, engagement. We can’t emphasize this enough. Although impressions are great, and brand awareness is always welcome, your goal is to gain followers and move them down the sales funnel. There are a few ways to invite IG users to interact with your post and spark engagement. 

The first is a CTA. But, please. Whatever you do — don’t make it boring! Ditch the “learn more” and “for more information” — those are SO played out. Instead, create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. Depending on your brand, CTAs like “Join now! Spots are filling fast!” and “Take the leap!” excite your audience, making them more likely to take action. Second, if you’re not looking to convert followers on every post, you can invite them to take action by asking a question and having them leave an answer as a caption. This promotes engagement and the visibility of your post.

Like we said earlier, Instagram is a critical touchpoint for many brands. If you’re finding it incredibly difficult to create captions that are impactful, these 3 ways to master your Instagram captions are sure to help!

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